Pool Of Starlight
by StarCrusader
Summary: Natsu and Lucy have a connection buried deep in the past, but they don't find out until they stumble upon a pool of bright, glowing white water. But what could this pool have to do with anything? And what happens when angry people try to attack Lucy and Natsu?
1. Haunting Past

_Once upon a time, long ago in an era that no longer exists, there was a beautiful goddess. Her name was Stella, and she was the goddess of the stars. One night, she visited Earth, wanting to look at her precious sky gems all at once. She appeared in a field of wheat, mesmerized by her creations. Little did she know, she wasn't alone._

 _Approaching from behind her was a curious young man who had seen the goddess appear in his field in a flash of blinding light. Her beautiful blonde hair shone in the moonlight like a halo, and her breath-taking brown orbs were shining with love up at the sky._

 _"Would you like to come join me?" Her voice resonated softly, and the man gasped. "You walk quite loudly, you know." Her eyes fixated on his onyx ones, and he chuckled._

 _"Sure." And that was it. He didn't ask who she was, what she was doing in his field, or even why she appeared in the manner she had. He sat down next to the mysterious woman, both turning their eyes to the sky. The silence that settled between them was oddly comfortable, but it was interrupted by the light voice of the woman._

 _"Isn't it beautiful?" She asked, proud of herself._

 _"The stars?" He asked, his eyes breaking away to look at her._

 _"Mm. Like gems." Her eyes sparkled._

 _"Yeah."_

 _"You aren't curious as to why I'm in your field?" Stella stared at the man with curiosity blooming inside her eyes._

 _"A little, but if you wanted to tell me, you would." His grin made her heart flutter, and she simply smiled back._

 _"Would you tell me your name if I asked?"_

 _"Do you want to?" He smirked._

 _"My name is Stella." She saw a fire dance in the man's eyes as he replied._

 _"I'm Hiro." His pink hair softly swayed in the wind._

 _The two rambled on for hours about themselves, and by the time the early rays of sun began to appear, it was like they had been best friends forever._

 _"I must go." Stella stood up, her dress wrinkled from sitting on it all night._

 _"Where?" Hiro stood up, taking her hand in his own. The warmth coursed through her body like a wildfire._

 _"Back into the sky." She smiled at his apparent confusion. "I guess I forgot to mention something." Her body began to fade as the dawn's rays hit her body. After all, a star isn't able to be seen during the day._

 _"Stella, your body!" Hiro tried to touch her fading cheek, but he passed right through._

 _"Don't worry, Hiro. This is what happens when daylight hits me. I disappear, just like my creations." She gestured to the fading stars._

 _"You mean you made the stars?" She was mostly gone, but he could see the ghost of her smile._

 _"Yes. I'm Stella, the star goddess. Until next time, Hiro." And she was gone, leaving the man alone in his field._

* * *

 _Every night, Stella would visit Hiro, and they would talk about whatever they wanted. This went on for over a year, and the two couldn_ _'t deny the growing love that they felt for each other. One night, Hiro was late, and Stella began to grow worried for her lover. He was always on time, no matter what._

 _"There she is!" A man shouted, followed by a lot of commotion. Stella could see a man leading a group of villagers towards her, each either with a torch or a pitchfork. "She's the demon who's possessing Hiro!"_

 _Stella gasped in shock, staring at the crowd dumbfounded. What had they meant? She couldn't possess anything!_

 _"What do you mean? Where's Hiro?!" She cried out, looking around._

 _"Right here!" Someone threw a bloodied heap to the ground in front of the goddess. It was Hiro, and he had been beaten harshly._

 _"What have you done?!" She cried out, collapsing next to him. He was barely breathing._

 _"Get away from him, you foul demon!" Somebody screamed. A rock hit her head, making her flinch in pain._

 _"I'm not a demon!" She shouted, pulling Hiro close to her chest. "Hiro, please wake up!" She yelled, cradling his weak form._

 _"Maybe the only way to free his soul is to kill him!" The male leader shouted, earning agreement from the crowd. Stella screamed, trying to keep him away from the delusional villagers, but to no avail. He was ripped from her arms as many men held her back to watch what would happen next. She screamed for Hiro as the villagers repeatedly stabbed him with pitchforks, tearing into his skin like butter._

 _"St..ell..a..." His voice was a faint whisper, but she heard him nonetheless. "I... love... you..." And afterwards, there was nothing. His eyes were slightly open, but the fire that was once there was gone. His last breath was a hushed whisper, and all she could hear was the blood rushing through her body._

 _"No!" Her scream pierced the night like an arrow, and a golden light enshrouded her, an invisible wind whipping her hair all over the place. Her tears were a bright white, and as they fell to the ground, they made a little pool of starlight._

 _The villagers, terrified, began to back away as she made her way towards her lover's corpse. His body was still warm as she touched him. She lifted him, carrying him bridal style. "I love you, too._ _" Her whisper was choked, and she gently kissed his cheek._

 _"I cannot live a life without you, Hiro." She whispered softly. By this time, the villagers had all fled, abandoning their beloved village. She stood alone in the field with his lifeless form in her arms. A bright light encompassed them, and when it dissipated, there was no trace left of Hiro and Stella. No trace but the pool of tears she left behind. And nobody would see it for hundreds of years yet to come._

 ** _(A/N)_**

 ** _So if you haven_** ** _'t guessed it yet, Hiro is Natsu and Stella is Lucy. There will be more chapters with our present day characters, so stay tuned to find out what happens with the pool of starlight!_**

 ** _Leave a review!_**

 ** _~StarCrusader~_**


	2. Orchid Village

Lucy strolled through the streets with her trusty companion, Plue, by her side. The early evening sky was a beautiful mix of oranges, pinks and gold. However, as cliche as it sounds, the stellar spirit mage enjoyed night the most, so she could stare at the stars. As she came to the canal, she walked carefully, so she wouldn't fall over into the water. As usual, the men in their boats called to her to be safe, and she replied that she would.

She finally reached her apartment door and said goodbye to Plue, who departed in a puff of smoke. She turned the doorknob and stepped in, yelping when a vase shattered next to her head.

"Natsuuu! You're in trooouuuble!" Happy teased, flying out the window.

Said pink-haired male shrunk in fear as Lucy's once sunny aura turned darker than night with anger.

" _Natsu..._ " Her voice was deep, filled with malice.

"L-look, Luce, i-it was an a-accident!" He stuttered, backing up, hitting a wall. His legs wobbled in fear of what she'd do. Faster than the speed of light, Lucy had grabbed a pillow from her couch and began beating Natsu with it. It wasn't long before he also had a pillow and the two were just relentlessly fighting with them. Lucy's anger turned into happy laughter, and by the time they were finished battling, there was stuffing all over the room.

Lucy could never stay mad at her best friend. They collapsed on the couch, both breathing heavily. The vase was long forgotten, laying in shards by the door. She'd make him clean it up later.

"Ne, Natsu, we need to go on a job soon. My rent is coming up." She peeked at him from the corner of her eye.

"We can find one tomorrow, don't worry Luce." His grin made her heart flutter uncontrollably, and she had to look away to hide her blush.

"Mm." She'd never admit the feelings that had grown for her best friend. She couldn't, or else their friendship could very well be ruined. Without another word, she stood up and walked over to her window, staring up at the night sky.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" Lucy whispered, feeling Natsu's warm presence behind her.

"You mean the stars?"

"Mm." All of a sudden, a pang of pain struck Lucy's head, making her knees collapse. Natsu fell to the ground in a similar fashion, cradling his head.

"The fuck was that?" He asked, hand still cradling his head.

"You felt that, too?" Lucy asked. Her skull still hurt, but not as bad as before.

"You mean that mind-splitting headache? Yeah." Lucy's brows knitted. Why would that happen?

"Hmm. I wonder what that was all about?" Lucy asked as they stood up. There was something nagging at her in the back of her mind, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. "Anyway, I guess we should go to bed. I'll see you at the Guild, okay?"

"Aye, sir!" Natsu hopped out of her window, and suddenly, the room got so much colder without him there.

* * *

Bright rays of dawn caressed Lucy's face, drawing her out of her slumber. Her eyes fluttered open as she slowly sat up. Remembering she was supposed to meet Natsu at the Guild soon, she quickly got dressed and brushed her teeth. She attached her keys to her hip, leaving her apartment with a skip in her step, stepping over the broken vase. She was finally going to pay her rent!

When she opened the Guild doors, she immediately walked over to the request board, trying to find an easy job that paid nice. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nab standing there, eyes just kind of glazed over, not really looking for a job. She inwardly giggled, then returned to searching the board.

"Oi, Luce!" Natsu walked up and put his arm around her shoulders; something he did quite often.

"Morning, Natsu!" She smiled brightly, eyes still trained on the board.

"What about this one?" Natsu reached up high on the board and plucked a piece of paper from it. "Let's see... All we have to do is perform in a parade? For 200,000 J? That seems easy enough, right?"

A smile spread across Lucy's face. "It sounds perfect." They agreed to meet at the train station (much against Natsu's wishes) to head out for their journey.

* * *

During the train ride, Lucy found Natsu draped across her lap in a pathetic manner. He had drool hanging from his mouth and his eyes were rolled to the back of his head. Usually, Lucy would tease him along with Happy, but the little Exceed decided to skip out on this mission, saying that he wanted to go fishing with Wendy and Carla instead. Lucy didn't mind, though, considering this job should be easy.

Without realizing it, Lucy's fingers had found their way into Natsu's soft hair, playing with it gently. Natsu moaned slightly in pleasure, his mouth quirking into a weak smile. Lucy always knew how to make him feel better, even if she didn't know it. After what seemed like forever, the train finally stopped at their destination - Orchid Village. It was a small village, but it was bustling with life. There were people all throughout the streets, buying and selling goods.

When Natsu stepped off of the train, his nose perked up immediately. "Wow, ya smell that, Luce?" He began to follow his nose, leaving Lucy to deal with their bags. She tried her best to keep up, earning weird looks from all of the villagers as she stumbled like a drunkard.

"Natsuuuu, wait up!" But he was too far into his own little world to listen to his partner. He ducked into a small restaurant, leaving her in the streets.

"Dammit, Natsu." She huffed, making her way into the restaurant. She found him seated at a table nearby, looking through the menu. When she slid in the seat across from her, he finally looked up at her, a huge smile plastered on his face.

"They have extra spicy chicken!" His childish outburst made a small smile grace her lips.

"After this, though, we have to go to the hotel and leave our bags there, got it?"

"Aye, sir!" He saluted. As Lucy turned her attention to her own menu, she shivered uncontrollably. It felt like someone was staring at her.

Glancing out of the corner of her eye, Lucy saw a cloaked figure staring at her and Natsu. When the figure noticed her staring, it turned away, so Lucy wouldn't see who it was. This put her on edge, and she continued to stare at the cloaked figure. When it didn't look back, she thought that maybe it was her imagination.

But, was it?

 ** _(A/N)_**

 ** _I hope that so far, you guys are enjoying this story! Don_** ** _'t worry, action will come soon! AND BRING ON THE ROMANCE!_**

 ** _Leave a review!_**

 ** _~StarCrusader~_**


	3. White Pools and Visions of Old

Lucy sighed as she sat up in the comfortable hotel bed, not wanting to get up. Today was the parade, and the duo had to be there by noon, and it was already 10:30.

"Natsu, wake up." She called out sleepily as she crawled out of her own bed, lazily walking over to the bathroom. After her teeth were brushed, she decided wake Natsu up again, since she herself was more awake.

"Natsu~ get up!" She tried shaking him, smirking when he muttered something unintelligible. "If you don't wake up, then I'll have to eat _all_ of these _extra extra spicy hot wings~_!" Natsu popped up like a daisy, his nose up in the air, trying to find the food Lucy lied about. When he realized she had lied, his lower lip pouted.

"Luuuuce! Not coooool!" Lucy just smirked, grabbing some clothes so she could take a hot shower.

"I'll get you some later, okay? You have to get up though, or else we'll be late." She waltzed into the bathroom, making sure to lock the door. She knew Natsu would never walk in to see her naked, but he'd walk in to use the bathroom, not caring if Lucy was there, witnessing it. She learned that the hard way.

The hot water had Lucy moaning in pleasure as she washed her hair and body; she loved morning showers. They always woke her up and she started her day with a smile. When she heard the knob jiggling, she sighed in annoyance. She knew he'd try to come in.

"Sorry, Natsu. You should've been up first! I'll be out in a few minutes!" However, when the jiggling didn't cease, Lucy became even more annoyed. "Dammit, Natsu, go away! I'll be out in a moment!" The jiggling stopped, but it turned into a loud banging, which she swore would break the door down.

"N-Natsu, stop it! You'll break down" The door splintered in half, "...the door." She turned the water off and grabbed a towel, wrapping it tight around her body. "Seriously, what's the big deal?" She glared at the broken door, but Natsu wasn't there. Instead, there was a cloaked figure.

"Stella..." The voice sounded hoarse and scratchy, but definitely male. "You are under arrest for your crimes committed against Orchid Village. Come with me in peace, or else I'll take you by force."

"W-what crimes?" She asked, backing up, wondering who the hell Stella was. "And can I at least get dressed?" She felt naked and vulnerable against this person.

After a few moments of consideration, the figure just simply turned, telling her to hurry up. She quickly got dressed, wondering where the fuck her partner was. After getting dressed, she silently grabbed her keys from the counter, then ran at the man, her foot connecting harshly with his back. He went flying forward, and Lucy jumped from the window, leaving her shoes behind.

She called for Natsu while running through the town, and her mind jumped to the restaurant. _The spicy chicken!_ She thought. _Of course he'd be there!_ Lucy ran as fast as she could, barging through the restaurant doors, calling out for Natsu. He was in the same table as before, half of a chicken in his mouth. When he saw her, it promptly fell from his mouth. He didn't have time to say anything though, for Lucy ran over, grabbed his hand, and ran from the restaurant, the owner crying about his money.

"What the hell's wrong, Luce? And where are your shoes?" Gravel had been digging into her feet, but she didn't have time to care. She had no idea where the cloaked man was, or what he was going to do to her.

"There's a man after me. He said that I committed a crime against the village, but I don't know what crime that would be!" She knew something was wrong, unless if it was illegal to sneeze in public. She remembered doing that at least three times.

"Stop them!" This time, it was a light, feminine voice that called out. Natsu increased his speed, picking Lucy up bridal style. She gasped at the swift movement, holding onto him like her life counted on it. Well, in a way it did. She ignored the blush creeping up on her cheeks; she had other things to worry about.

"Natsu, the forest!" She pointed towards the dark forest, and her partner obediently ran towards it. He shielded Lucy's body with his arms as he ran through the thick brush, earning scratches all over his arms. He didn't seem to notice though, since he kept sprinting, expertly jumping over roots and fallen trees.

After a while, Natsu slowed down as they came to a clearing, letting Lucy slip out of her arms. They could still hear the sound of snapping branches from behind, their enemy on their way.

"C'mon, Natsu!" Lucy grabbed his hand and began to make her way through the field of... wheat? "Why is there a wheat field here? We're in the middle of a forest!" It made no sense to her at all.

"Luce..." Natsu pulled back, making Lucy stop in her tracks. She turned to yell at him, saying that they didn't have time to stop, but when she saw his face, she stopped herself. Was he... _blushing?_

"N-Natsu? What's wrong?" His face was completely red.

"You mean, you didn't see that vision?" He asked, seeming a little relieved.

"What are you talking about? Natsu, we have to run, they're right behind us!" She could see three cloaked figures emerging from the forest. "Now!" She grabbed his hand once again, but only ran a few steps before she slipped in a puddle, dragging Natsu down with her. She stared down at the little pool of white water that caused her to slip, remarking how it looked almost like milk.

"What the-"

"Stella, Hiro, you two are under arrest for the crimes you've committed against Orchid Village." The scratchy voice from before had Lucy shoot up to her bare feet, still standing in the water.

"What crimes?" She asked. "And those aren't our names!" She cried out, helping Natsu to his feet.

"Maybe not now, but they were once, long ago." The feminine voice from before resonated.

"You guys are crazy." Natsu muttered, finally standing up. "I suggest you go away, or else things will get ugly." A ball of fire formed in his palm, but it didn't seem to phase any of the figures before them. When Lucy pulled out her keys, she could see them tense up slightly.

"My partner is right." She said, feeling her power rise up within her. Natsu eyed her, his jaw dropped. The figures backed up a few steps, making Lucy wonder what was wrong with them.

"L-Luce?" Natsu asked. She glance at him, then looked down, gasping in shock. The white water was glowing brightly, slowly making its way up her body. It wasn't cold, but instead it felt warm, like Natsu's flame. It crept up further still, and as it reached her hand - which was still holding Natsu's for some reason - it began to cover his body as well. When they were covered in the white water, their bodies began to glow, and, like a movie, images ran through their brains, each telling their own story. A story that had had the same ending; their deaths.

Lucy carefully watched the images, noticing that they were of her and Natsu. They were in the field, and the forest wasn't there. Natsu wore old, torn clothing whereas Lucy was wearing a long, blue dress with gold trim. The two of them would talk, and she noticed that there were only visions of them at night together, which was strange. Lucy noticed how, as the vision progressed, she and Natsu got closer and closer. She absolutely lost her shit when she saw them kiss, though. She saw how they stared at each other with love prominent in their eyes, like nothing else mattered. They looked so happy, and Lucy felt their happiness for a split moment, until the next vision came.

She was being held back by men, being forced to watch as people drove their pitchforks into Natsu's limp body. She screamed out herself, reaching out, trying to save him, but she couldn't move her body.

 _"St...ell...a... I... love... you..."_ And his light was gone, diminished from his eyes. He was gone, both Lucy's screaming out in heartbreak. The other Lucy began to glow, anger and sadness written all over her face. She walked over to him, the villagers scattering away from her.

 _"I love you, too."_ Other Lucy whispered, picking him up bridal style. She was crying white, glowing tears, and Lucy couldn't help but notice how they formed into a pool, just like the one she stepped in. _"I cannot live a life without you, Hiro."_ Other Lucy whispered. Then, both of the Lucy's, along with Natsu, were enveloped in a bright light, and when it dissipated, everything went dark for all of them.

 ** _(A/N)_**

 ** _I hope you enjoyed the third chapter! I hope you're enjoying this story! I'm having so much fun writing it!_**

 ** _Leave a review!_**

 ** _~StarCrusader~_**


	4. Choking Confession

Lucy woke up to the rough feeling of someone shaking her. Her eyes struggled to open, but when they did, she was greeted by Natsu's concerned face.

"Luce? Are you okay?" He helped her to sit up; her body felt like it had been thrown against a wall a few times.

"I-I think so. Where are we?" She leaned against him for support, but she could hardly see in the dim room. The floor was made of cold dirt, which felt nice against her aching body.

"We're in a cell. I've tried to melt the bars, but my magic didn't work against them." This reminded Lucy of her keys, and when she felt around for them, she nearly had a heart attack when she felt that they were gone.

"They took my keys!"

"I know, and I'm sorry. We need to figure a way out of here." Lucy nodded in agreement, shakily standing up. Luckily, Natsu didn't seem to mind her using him for support. She smiled at his kindness, but when she remembered the vision she saw, she quickly moved away from him, embarrassed.

"Luce? Are you okay?" He tried to touch her, but she pretended not to notice his outstretched hand, limping forward to the bars.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Ne, Natsu, what did you see when the water covered you?" She wanted to be certain they saw the same thing before they actually talked about it.

"W-well, I remember noticing that we were in a field of wheat. I was wearing old, ratty clothes, and you were wearing a beautiful blue dress."

"Is that all?" She gripped a cool metal bar, feeling the rust beneath her finger tips.

"U-uh, well..." A door creaked open, and not too long after, the lights came on. They had to shield their eyes from the bright light for a moment. When Lucy was able to see clearly, she first noticed that there were many cells like hers, but they were unoccupied. The second thing she noticed was the young woman coming towards them.

"Good, you're up." Lucy recognized the voice from the cloaked figures. The woman had long, light blue hair and dark green eyes. She was wearing a simple white top and green skirt.

"What's going on?!" Natsu yelled, fist banging on the bars.

"No need to yell, you know." The girl crossed her arms over her chest. "You're annoying."

"Why you little-"

"Natsu, that's not going to get us any answers." Lucy rolled her eyes at her partner. She knew he was angry, but yelling would do them no good in a situation such as this.

"Listen to your girlfriend." The woman said, uncrossing her arms to flip her hair over her shoulder. Before Lucy could protest that they weren't dating, the woman continued, "Stella, I came here to get you."

"My name isn't Stella. It's Lucy." She couldn't understand why they insisted on calling her Stella, even if that was her name in another life.

"Whatever, not like it really matters anyway. You're the only one we need."

"Need for what?" Natsu stepped closer to Lucy, putting himself slightly between the two women.

"We're going to break her soul, of course. That way she can't come back to plague this world. She is a demon, after all." Lucy's heart seemed to stop for a split moment.

"D-demon? What do you mean? I'm a human!"

"Stella was a demon, who had possessed Hiro, a farmer. She forced him to fall in love with her, and she'd feed off of him like a parasite. When the villagers stepped in to intervene, they had no choice but to kill Hiro, to save his soul. Too bad your soul came back, too." The woman seemed bored, picking at her nails. "Can we get this over with now? After you're dead I think I'll play with Hiro." She smirked at this, eyeing Natsu like a predator.

"Like hell!" Natsu fully put himself between Lucy and the woman, arms out as if to protect Lucy. "I won't let you touch Luce." For a moment, Lucy felt her cheeks heat up. She knew that she wasn't in the type of situation to be blushing, but she couldn't help herself.

"Unfortunately for you, you don't get a say in the matter." A scratchy voice called from the doorway. There stood an old man who was surprisingly muscular. He was ripped with scars littering his body. "I was wondering why it was taking you so long, Dahlia. Stop messing around and bring that bitch to the death room."

"Whatever you say, Kenji." She mumbled something under her breath, a black smoke trailing from her lips. The smoke coiled around Lucy and Natsu, paralyzing them. Lucy's throat wouldn't work the way she wanted it to, and neither did her body. She was helpless as Dahlia unlocked the cell, letting Kenji walk right in. He pushed Natsu to the ground, so he could watch his partner hopelessly being taken away.

She was thrown over Kenji's shoulder, her eyes unable to move from the ground beneath her. And she wondered if maybe - just maybe - if this was the last time she'd ever get to see Natsu. There was something she needed to tell him. Something she _had_ to tell him.

"N...Na..tsu..." Talking was hardly possible, but she knew everyone could hear her.

"How are you talking?!" Dahlia was shocked, staring at Lucy as if she had three heads.

"I... love... you..." She let it hang in the air as she was being taken away, knowing fully well that he had heard her. Knowing that he would be left with that as she died. Knowing that she could die in piece now that she had finally confessed it.

"Get off of her!" And everything went red.

 ** _(A/N)_**

 ** _I know, I suck. I took forever to update, and it's super short! Forgive me~!_**

 ** _Leave a review!_**

 ** _~StarCrusader~_**


	5. Promise

Fire. There was fire _everywhere._ Kenji dropped Lucy onto the floor, turning around to face Natsu, who had scales covering half his face and his right arm. His eyes were reptilian-like. He was absolutely _pissed._ Kenji yelled at Dahlia to grab Lucy, but before the blue-haired mage could even attempt to grab Lucy, she slammed into a wall, a fireball slammed into her chest.

"You even _touch_ her, and I'll burn you to ash!" Natsu roared, the temperature of the room increasing. Thanks to his hit on Dahlia, Lucy was able to move, standing up. She noticed the cell was melting, and was amazed by her partner's powers. _Was this because of what I said?_ Lucy wondered.

"Listen to me, Hiro." Kenji began.

"It's _Natsu._ " He growled.

"Okay, _Natsu,_ there's no need for you to be violent. You're being possessed, can't you see? She's feeding off of you!" He pointed towards Lucy, who just scowled. "She's a demon!"

"Maybe we need to kill him again?" This time, a man with slicked back black hair entered the room, wearing a white shirt and tan shorts. "I was wondering why it was taking you so long." He then eyed Lucy like she was a piece of meat. "Stella."

"It's _Lucy_." She walked over next to Natsu, wishing that she at least had her whip.

"Your name doesn't change what you are. You've even begun to turn Hiro into a demon!" The man gestured at the scales covering part of Natsu's body. "Now we're going to have to kill him again."

"Over my dead body!" Lucy shouted, stepping in front of Natsu. "I don't know why everyone insists I'm a demon when I'm _clearly human!_ " She was beyond frustrated. She was tired of trying to explain herself to these people.

"That can be arranged." The man's face split into a wicked grin, making Lucy's blood run cold.

"I saw Natsu die once, I won't let him die again because I'm weak! I'll protect him until I'm dead!" She shouted, holding her arms out, as if that would protect her awestruck partner. Even Lucy was surprised that she was acting so confident.

"Dahlia, Kenji. I've had enough, take them _both_ to the death room!" Kenji grabbed Lucy's wrist too tight, making her yelp in pain.

"Don't touch her!" Natsu threw a punch at the man, who quickly used Lucy as a shield. Natsu was able to stop his punch, but he ended up kicking over Kenji and Lucy, resulting in the older man hitting his head against the ground really hard. The two pushed off of the man, running past the other two, and out the door. They ran past several rooms, but as they reached the end of the hall and threw open the door, they discovered that they were several hundred feet up.

"N-no..." Lucy muttered, turning to look back at their three captors who were slowly walking down the hallway.

"Did you really think that we wouldn't take precautions?" Dahlia smirked. "You're even bigger idiots than I thought!"

"Natsu, I meant what I said." Lucy squeezed her partner's hand tightly. "I love you, Natsu." She whispered, but she knew fully well that he heard her. The three evil doers were only about 30 feet away now.

Lucy turned, facing Natsu. He stared into her eyes, squeezing her hand. What happened next happened too fast for him to process. Her lips were pressed against his as they began to fall through the sky, the wind whistling in their ears. When Natsu realized what was going on, Lucy pulled away and whispered in his ear.

"I told you that I'd protect you with my life." And then Lucy hit the ground first, Natsu's body on top of hers. He quickly jumped off of her, staring in horror at his unmoving partner.

"L-Lucy?" He gently picked her up bridal style, but sighed in relief when he saw her chest moving with each breath she took. He knew they couldn't stay there with her hurt like this, so he ran off into the forest, positive that his enemies weren't far behind.

 ** _(A/N)_**

 ** _Damn, Lucy has some balls. Lol I wish I could do brave things... Sorry for the short chapter!_**

 ** _Leave a review!_**

 ** _~StarCrusader~_**


	6. A Thousand Times

Natsu was frantically running through the woods, holding Lucy close to his chest. He _knew_ something was broken in her body. There's no way she could fall that far with an impact like that without consequences. His nose picked up the scent of the three behind him; they were close.

"Don't worry, Luce. I've got you." Natsu whispered, pushing himself to run even faster. Then, an idea popped in his head. _The white water!_ He remembered feeling Lucy's power grow just by standing in it. It was very possible that it could heal her, too.

He remembered that it smelled salty, like tears. Desperately, his nose sniffed around, trying to find the salty smell once again. When he caught wind of it, he followed it quickly, jumping over roots and fallen trees, careful not to hurt his blonde partner.

Natsu wasn't really a man of words, but rather one of actions. So when he heard Lucy confess her feelings for him, he lost it. Dragons Slayers only ever get one mate, and he had known for a while that Lucy was his. So when he heard that she felt the same, he felt his strength build up, coursing through his veins like a wildfire. And when she had kissed him, it was as if his entire world stopped, but it all brutally came back when he felt her body crunch beneath his.

When the wheat field came into view, Natsu silently cheered, finding the pool quickly. Gently, he set Lucy down in it, afraid that he'd hurt her. At first, nothing happened, and Natsu could feel the despair welling up inside of him. Before he could take her out of the little white pool, she began to glow softly, the water slowly covering every inch of her broken body.

"Stop him!" The man in the white shirt yelled. Lucy's eyes snapped open, revealing her beautiful chocolate orbs.

"Natsu?" She whispered, staring at him.

"Hey, Luce." He smiled softly, tucking her hair behind her ear. Her eyes widened as Kenji came closer to them, with what looked like a knife in his hand.

"Natsu, watch out!" She shouted. Natsu turned around just in time to watch Kenji try to stab him, but a barrier formed around him, protecting him. He looked back to his partner, who was just as astonished as he.

"Get her out of that pool!" The man in white yelled. "She's using her demonic powers!"

Lucy stood up, her body coursing with power and energy. It felt like she was on fire, but it didn't hurt. In fact, it felt rejuvenating and like she was an unstoppable wildfire.

"I'm not a demon! How many times do I have to tell you?!" She was glowing brighter with her anger. "It's time to end this, once and for all!" She pulled out her keys, which were hiding in the pool all along. She supposed she had dropped them after passing out. "Let's do this, Natsu!"

"Yosh! I'm all fired up!" He grinned, his fist aflame.

"Open, gate of the Lion, Loki!" He appeared in a flash of gold, adjusting his glasses.

The three enemies got into a battle stance, but they looked as if they were unsure of themselves. Of course, Natsu was the first to make his move.

"Roar of the fire dragon!" He shouted, flames erupting from his mouth. They crashed into Kenji, but it didn't seem to do much damage. Natsu growled, eyes narrowing. "You're going down, old man!" He shouted, lunging at him.

While they were in their own little battle, Lucy called out Virgo, who gave her her whip, then disappeared with a _poof._

"Loki, you take on the girl. This guy has some explaining to do." He had yet to tell them his name, and why these guys were after Lucy, even if they thought she was a demon.

"Okay, Princess." Loki smirked at Dahlia, who in turn took a step back.

"Let's go!" Lucy yelled, charging at the man, her whip in hand. She slashed it several times, leaving a few red marks on his arms. "Tell me who you are!" He just grinned wickedly, striking some fear into Lucy's heart.

"Foolish girl. Don't you know that names are powerful?" The red marks on his arms faded, as if Lucy had never struck them.

"W-what?" Her eyes were wide with shock and confusion.

The man smiled wider, a black fire consuming his body. Black runes came to life around them, trapping the two of them in a large square. Fear built up inside Lucy as the man in front of her slowly began to change form. He sprouted horns from his head, his entire body becoming covered in what looked like a black leathery material. His eyes went crimson, and his hands and feet sprouted deadly claws, making Lucy's skin crawl. The fighting around them ceased as everyone stared in shock at the demon standing in front of Lucy, even Dahlia and Kenji. Loki ended up disappearing in a puff of smoke, and as Lucy studied the runes closer, she realized that she couldn't use any magic while she was in them.

"Now, Stella, it's time to end this!" The demon roared, his voice deep and gravelly.

"Luce!" Natsu ran towards her, but as soon as he touched the runes, he was thrown back by a black electric current.

"Natsu!" Lucy screamed, about to run towards him.

"You're not going _anywhere_!" The demon laughed as Lucy turned to face him, her face full of rage.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked, hand tightening on her whip. Although she was sure it wouldn't work, thanks to the damn runes.

"You mean you don't remember? No, of course you wouldn't, since you killed yourself. You're so _pathetic,_ Stella. Killing yourself for a mere mortal? Hah!" The demon roared with laughter as Lucy's face scrunched into a scowl.

"Even though I don't remember it, I don't regret it. I'd die for him any day, no matter what! Even if it were a thousand times more painful, I'd do it!" At this, the demon just seemed to stare at her, but he smiled after a moment.

"A thousand times worse, you say?" Something about his tone sent a chill down Lucy's spine.

She had every right to be frightened.

 ** _(A/N)_**

 ** _I've been trying to write this for two days. And I honestly hate this chapter. I feel like it's all over the place, but I don't know how to fix it! It's so frustrating!_**

 ** _Leave a review!_**

 ** _~StarCrusader~_**


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